Old Radio

January 25: Jack Benny Marries Sadye Marks Sadye Marks looked beautiful in her wedding dress. At least Jack thought she did. Jack was crazy about her, and would marry her on January 25, 1927. Sadye Marks would change her name. If you know the Golden Age of Radio, you know her as Mary... Mary Livingstone . And Jack? Jack Benny , of course. Sadie was a cousin of the Marx brothers .

On this day in 1923, Florence Halop was born.

On this day in 1946, Fat Man radio series made its debut.

On this day in 1896, George Burns was born.

On this day in 1906, William Bendix was born.

On this day in 1918, Steve Dunne was born.

On this day in 1883, Francis X. Bushman was born.

On this day in 1949, Screen Directors' Playhouse made its radio debut.

On this day in 1926, George Burns & Gracie Allen were married.

On this day in 1916, Maxene Andrews was born. Maxene was the middle sister (and soprano) of the musical mid-century act: The Andrews Sisters .

January 1, 1927:  Graham McNamee presented the play by play on NBC for the Rose Bowl , broadcast for the first time on this day by a coast-to-coast network radio. NBC chose sports as their main program focus since they were the first network to broadcast the Rose Bowl across the country. Later on, several important sporting events were aired nationally by NBC, including the World Series, golf tournaments, and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932. McNamee was a pioneering broadcaster in American radio history. He broadcast many sporting events, including national and international competitions. He was not a sports expert, but he had an incredible affinity for conveying to audiences what he saw in great detail and with great enthusiasm.   Graham McNamee later broadcast the radio program Behind the Mike .